Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the requirement to connect an audio wire to your device. These headphones are great for use in public transport, in the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones are available in a variety of styles and noise cancellation capabilities. They usually come with a sleek storage case.

Soundcore Life Q30

A major upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018 These earphones are more attractive, feel more durable, and are generally more polished. The hinges are tighter and the soft leather cups are slightly larger. They are still largely made of plastic, however they're more polished. You can also switch the 3.5mm cable for a better USB-C version to use them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also have dual microphones that are great in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app has a wide variety of EQ presets that can be saved and altered to listen to podcasts or music in the way you prefer. The Soundcore app is simple to use and sets these headphones apart.

When ANC is on, the Q30's 40mm drivers block out most of the ambient noise, and provide very pleasant listening. The Q30's sound is natural, but a little on the treble. Some may not be a fan of the bass response (we got better results with the Bass Booster EQ). It is possible to fix this using the Soundcore App, which has an eight-band Equalizer.

The left earcup features the power button, a pairing button, and a USB-C charging port. The right earcup has play/pause and the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking these controls lets you to skip tracks or repeat previous ones. You can also make use of voice commands to ask them to change modes or set alarms. The right earcup can be covered with your hand to activate ambient mode, so you can be aware of what is happening around you without removing the headphones.

The battery life on these headphones is great and the battery life is also excellent. In our tests with ANC enabled the Q30 ran for almost an hour longer than its competitors. This leaves plenty of time for an extended flight or working for a long time. They can be quickly recharged with the included USB-C cable and you'll get an alert when they're getting empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys wireless headhpones are a set of premium over-ear headphones that provide both active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth playback. They're designed to be a pair of premium high-end headphones that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go but also sound fantastic when used to listen to audiophile music at home too. They're more expensive than similar headphones but their superior sound quality is the main selling point.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a compact, attractive white box with a fabric finish. It contains all the accessories that you will need. There's a fold-flat headphone carry case, USB-C to USB cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

They're powered by a good 600mAh battery that can take you through a full day of listening to music and also have an audio input for wired use. Wirelessly, they're connected via Bluetooth. You can control their functions using an app (now called Focal and Naim in keeping with English Naim's network-aware products) or by pressing the button located on the left earcup, which scrolls through ANC profiles like'silent','soft 'transparent,' and 'full.

Using the app allows you to change various settings like the brightness of the LED, EQ presets including a'music profile' that is brighter and more neutral than other presets and their battery duration. You can also choose the ANC level and mode and select an 'acoustic environment' to adjust the sensitivity to simulate the sound of the headphones in a different room.

The Focal Bathys feature a bass-rich sound profile that adds more warmth and punch to your favorite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix and can sound veiled while other details such as cymbals sound not as prominent as you'd expect on other headphones. They're not as efficient in active noise cancellation when contrasted with other headphones that have more advanced technology such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are known for their quality, and the WH1000XM5 headphones are no exception. It's located at the top end of the mainstream over-ear headphone market, but it is also dipping into the 'luxury lifestyle' area where the likes of Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc hang out. The XM5s are costly however, if you can afford it get them, you won't find a better wireless over-ear headphones.

The XM5s have a lot of features that simplify the lives of the listener and automate tasks that they would be required to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to close to high-res) is included as well as support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. That allows for streaming of high-quality audio at rates that are higher than traditional Bluetooth. The built-in microphone is capable of making hands-free phone calls.

As with the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. They're among the top-performing headphones for cutting out constant drones found in train and underground carriages. The XM5s do an excellent job of shielding listeners from the background noise of busy airports and streets also.

The sound quality is also very good. The XM5s aren't quite as clear in the low frequencies as the XM4, but there's a more pronounced sense of clarity and realism as well. The bass on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys strength and clarity without affecting the music. The XM5s also have the ability to produce precise and precise bass notes in Massive Attack's Angel.

The battery life is fantastic, with up to 30 hours of listening time when ANC is in use and 40 hours if off. That's more than enough for a weekend trip or several days of heavy usage.

The XM5s aren't water resistant or dust resistant. Sony actually advises against sweating on them or wearing them in the rain. This might not be a problem for a lot of people, but it might cause a problem for anyone who spend a lot of time at the gym or lives in a rainy city.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max is a pair of blue tooth headphones tooth wireless headphones (mouse click the up coming document) headphones which feature Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. They have 40mm dynamic drivers designed by Apple with an audio profile that is neutral and emphasizes the mids and Blue Tooth Wireless Headphones highs while not going overboard on either ends of the spectrum. This makes them perfect for both music and movies. They also have higher fidelity compared to other headphones.

The headphones are light in construction that is comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made of memory foam, are covered with woven fabric and sit comfortably over the ear they do not place pressure on the sides or forehead. The ear cups can also be tilted and rotated to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges feature a strong but not too powerful clamping force, which ensures that the earcups stay in place throughout listening sessions.

You can toggle noise cancelling by pressing a small button on the top of the right earcup. There's also a button that can be pushed, jog-dial-like button, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can turn to control volume and press the button once twice or three times to control playback. Siri is invoked by pressing and pressing the button. The buttons are simple to use and well-placed however I would have liked to see a power button that would turn off the headphones when not in use. The headphones automatically go into standby mode when they are removed from your ear or placed in their case, and they only wake up when you put them on your head again.

Spatial audio is another cool feature. It utilizes accelerometers, gyroscopes, and iPhones and iPads to determine where you are moving. Then, it adjusts the sounds to make them appear to originate from that particular location. This creates a cinema-like experience for videos and movies made in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. Only iOS devices are able to listen to spatial audio.

The AirPods Max is a decent pair, but I'd feel a little ripped off for spending $549 at an Apple Store knowing that the next-generation model will be better within a year. AirPods Pro are more expensive and have superior battery life and more advanced features.